


Gang Mom

by sleepylotus



Series: Pearls [3]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Sorry Not Sorry, more stolen kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 01:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14906147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepylotus/pseuds/sleepylotus
Summary: Beth receives an unexpected guest at her son's birthday party...





	Gang Mom

# III. Gang Mom

 

Just when Beth felt like the day was going well, there _he_ was, standing on her back porch like he had every right to be there, giving her that look that was equal parts sex and danger. A lazy thrill trilled up her spine, and Beth felt a tremor in her hands as she excused herself from her circle of conversation to usher Rio inside before too many people noticed him. Needless to say he did _not_ fit in with this suburban crowd.

_Something in this picture is not like the others…_

Such gossip was the _last_ thing she needed.

Filled with nervous excitement and then the saner reaction of _annoyance_ , Beth led Rio to the closest unoccupied room on the bottom floor, which just happened to be the bedroom. Rio looked between her and the bed with a raised eyebrow, his thoughts clear to read on his handsome face.

"Don't give me that look,” Beth scolded with fire. “It’s just a room that happens to have a bed in it."

"Aw, baby, you don't want to make out?"

He was teasing her, and Beth did her best to ignore him. Still, a thrill betrayed her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Making himself at home, Rio sauntered to the line of photos on her dresser. “This your husband?” he asked, picking up one of Dean smiling big for the camera at his family’s lake house.

“Yes.”

“What’s he do?”

“He sells cars.”

Rio nodded as though that explained everything. “He don’t look trustworthy.”

Somehow those words hit Beth like a knife to the heart.

Exasperated, Beth huffed, "What do you think you're doing, walking in here like this?"

"The door was open."

"I'm having a party."

"And I wasn't invited?" He fake pouted, pushing out that full bottom lip, and damn if he wasn't actually _cute_.

What the actual _fuck_ was wrong with her?

"Is a ten year old boy's birthday party really your scene?"

"Nah, but I would have come just to see you in that dress." He looked her up and down again and shook his head, and Beth felt the heat of a virulent blush bloom across her skin.

"So glad you like it,” she hissed, trying to take charge of the situation, and her own answering desire. Christ, she felt like a cat in heat when this man was around. Was it as pathetic on the outside as she felt on the in? “But you have to go before someone sees you."

"Sure. I'll take my boy and go."

Beth's china blue eyes bugged wide. "Yes, _please_ escort your wounded minion from the premises _in front of all of my guests_. Have you lost your mind?"

Rio's expression lost some of that sparkling humor, revealing the unforgiving hardness underneath, and Beth felt her heart fall. Too far, Beth. It wasn't that she forgot she should be afraid of this man, she just—got carried away in their banter sometimes. _She liked it._ It was crazy, but then maybe she'd lost a piece of her sanity the day she and the girls decided to solve their problems by robbing a grocery store.

Rio neared closer, standing well within her personal bubble. It was unnerving—and titillating, if she was honest.

"Is he here?"

"Funny story about that. When he woke up he held me at gunpoint— _stole my car_ —and disappeared. Then he came back, returning my vehicle with numerous bullet holes in the back quarter panel, and has been sleeping like a baby in my daughter’s bed ever since." She put a hand on her hip. "He didn't want me to lock the door for the party but I promised him a piece of cake."

Rio's mouth twisted as he fought a smile, but in the end it won the battle, even going so far as to flash straight white teeth.

"Mamma, you are somethin' else."

"You have to come back later, when everyone's gone. Like, midnight. Isn't that the appropriate hour for stuff like this?"

He still smiled, though it was more subdued. An invitation back to her home at the devil’s hour seemed to appeal to him, and again that damning warmth bloomed in the pit of her belly, then spread to places lower. Obsidian dark eyes glittered with a promise, and Beth swallowed, wondering if maybe she shouldn’t just let Rio take his boy away now after all. But that would have been the coward’s way out, and she was tired of always playing it safe. It was boring—and she was done with being bored with her life.

"I can do that," Rio answered, his voice low and warm and Beth felt her knees weaken just a little.

Her reply was a crisp chirp, her attempt to counter the sudden rising temperature in the room. "Thank you."

His gaze traveled down, then back up again, making her blush return with a vengeance. "I might need a piece of cake too."

_He was going to do it again._

He was going to kiss her senseless. She recognized the signs, the way he looked at her through half-lidded eyes, like a sleepy lion eying a tasty gazelle. And just maybe her lips parted with anticipation, even as her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"Is everything all right, Bethy?"

Dean's sudden appearance in the doorway broke the spell, and Rio turned.

"Everything's fine," sang out Beth, cheerful yet her voice held an unmistakable undercurrent of annoyance.

The men shared one of those masculine moments of sizing each other up from across the room. It was a look as old as the Stone Age, and all they needed were clubs and some animal furs to complete the scene. Maybe Dean was taller, but somehow Beth would put her money on Rio. And _somehow_ , even though Beth rather wanted to strangle Dean herself, she didn’t want her feckless husband at the mercy of her Gang Friend. She dared to touch Rio’s arm lightly, giving him a pleading look, which somehow Rio seemed to understand. Minutely he nodded, and made his exit stage right.

“Cars, huh?” Rio’s comradely pat on Dean’s shoulder—delivered with maybe a _bit_ too much force—held all the irony in the world, and for once Dean didn’t seem to be completely oblivious to the feelings of the other humans around him. Beth saw the questions in his kicked puppy-dog gaze, but she didn’t have the patience to answer them now. She too exited the bedroom, brushing past her husband without another word.

 

* * *

 

At the stroke of midnight Rio appeared, just as she'd asked, with his boys at his heels ready to do his sordid bidding. Maybe that wasn’t _entirely_ fair. It was almost kind, that they seemed to care about Eddie’s recovery, to the point of which would keep them from getting caught at least.

"He's upstairs," said Beth, "Right where you left him."

He was even slightly the better for wear, but a nurse she was not. Scraped knees were about the extent of anything she wanted to be responsible for caring for.

Rather than the usual hoodie Rio was wearing a knee length black wool coat, the collar turned up around his neck. He looked elegant in a completely sinister way, the eagle tattoo still on full display. He looked her up and down in the way he always did—and truth be told she had yet to get tired of it. "Mmm. I was hoping you'd still be wearin' that."

Beth raised an eyebrow. Maybe she had neglected to change out of the festive pink and purple number after Rio expressed his appreciation of the ensemble, but she didn't have to admit it.

"It's been a long day."

"Yeah, you quite the hostess. That was one helluva party. Hope your kid knows how lucky he is."

Beth sighed. "He doesn't, but what ten year old does?"

Rio's expression remained inscrutable, and she wondered if she'd unwittingly hit a nerve. She had no idea what Rio’s childhood had been like, but the available clues made her think that maybe it hadn’t been such a nice time. It made her add, "But I have to return all that stuff tomorrow, so no rest for the wicked I guess."

Rio lifted his brows with surprise, that half smile curling his lips. "That's one way to throw a party."

Beth pressed her lips, wondering if this was a subject she should broach just yet. But he was here and she was here, the kids were asleep upstairs. Why not. She traced a vein in her granite countertop on the island with a fingernail. "It's got me thinking, actually. I have a business proposition for you,"

"Oh?" Rio seemed amused by this. Beth didn't get to tell it though, for Rio's tattooed toughs came down the stairs with Eddie walking slowly between them.

"Make sure you keep those bandages clean," called Beth in her mom voice, and even Eddie smiled a little.

"Yes Mom."

Gang Mom. Was that her new job title?

"And stay in bed. No more running off to—" _What? Settle a score on a street corner with a gun?_ "Do whatever it is you do."

She won smirks all around for that one, and she knew her willful ignorance of what these men were involved in was ludicrous. It wasn’t enough to stop her, though. Maybe she really did need to be committed.

The boys made their way outside, closing the door quietly behind them. To Beth’s surprise Rio did not follow, and the sound of a car starting and pulling away drifted into the kitchen.

"I think your ride just left."

Rio gave her that half smile. "I got my own wheels."

He drove separate.

He intended to stay a while.

Beth’s heart beat double time in her chest.

“So,” said Rio, sidling closer. “Tell me about this _proposition._ ”

Beth resisted the sudden impulse to step back as Rio came to stand before her.

“Well…I was thinking about your money.”

The corner of Rio’s mouth twitched. “Yeah?”

“And you have to wash it, right?”

Slowly he nodded, tonguing his bottom lip the way he did when he was in thought, evaluating the board before him, trying to guess her next move. Usually he managed to do so with effortless aplomb.

“You should let the girls and I help you with that.”

“I should?”

“Yes. Because we are sweet unassuming middle-class women who can buy high-dollar items at big box stores and then return them later— _for cash_ —without raising eyebrows. And we can do this for _you_ for just thirty percent of the take.”

Rio blinked a few times at her outlandish proposition, though once more she could see the smile fighting to emerge upon his lips. Once again the smile won, and laughter emerged too. Somehow the sound of his genuine mirth made her feel accomplished and warm all over, even if he was _laughing at her._

However, his answer nearly made her fall over. “Ten percent.”

_He was actually considering it._

“Twenty-five.”

She should have seen it coming. She really should have, but she was so _excited_ that he did not shoot down her idea immediately that she failed to read the signs. Rio ducked down to kiss her, and the moment his full lips pressed against hers she felt the wires of her brain cross and short, the fallout like sparklers behind her eyes. When finally he pulled back he said, “Fifteen.”

He tasted like mint, as though he'd just chewed a stick of gum. He came prepared to kiss her silly, and Beth wasn't half as mad about it as she should have been.

“Twenty.” Her voice lost the firmness she felt she needed to make for effective negotiation, but the butterflies making mad havoc in her belly numbed her disappointment in herself and her annoyance with Rio for distracting her so underhandedly.

He kissed her again. Maybe she let him do it, all too willingly.

“Ten.”

Beth let out a small squeak as the lower number registered. “Twenty!” she insisted against his mouth before going back for more, daring to take his lower lip between her teeth and bite down gently. He made a sound deep in his throat, and she felt his arms begin to move. She knew if he grabbed her up she would be done for. Somehow she managed to skip back and put the island between them, taking a deep calming breath.

He let her escape, she knew. With all the grace of a lazy predator he leaned on the island, looking at her with the knowledge that he could catch her anytime he really wanted to. A wicked little smile curled the corner of Rio’s mouth, and it took Beth’s breath away all over again.

“ _Fifteen_ ,” he amended. “For a trial period. If it works out we’ll renegotiate.”

Thrumming with excitement, Beth bestowed him with her brightest smile. “Deal.”

Rio just shook his head, looking at her like she was something delicious he wanted to eat. “It ain’t fair to smile at a man like that, mamma.”

Her joy dialed back a notch, and she made herself stop grinning like an idiot. What she didn’t know was that Rio thought she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, like a living masterpiece carved of alabaster and fire, those brilliant aquamarine eyes flashing. It made him want to touch her— _want to possess her_ —and he knew the impulse was as foolish as it was dangerous for a man like him.

“Nothing’s fair. Isn’t that what you told me earlier?”

“Words to live by in this business. You’ll see, you stick around long enough.”

Beth gnawed upon her lower lip in thought, excitement and desire playing havoc with her sense of reason. “I think I’ve lived long enough to know,” she informed him. _Life_ was not fair. Even for suburban housewives who outwardly seemed to have everything.

Rio did not poopoo her statement, as some men might have done. He simply nodded, as though he believed her. As though he _understood_ her. It was the latter most likely that made her stand her ground as he rounded the island to her once more.

“I think I’m going to enjoy our renegotiation,” he deadpanned with a lift of one angular eyebrow. She giggled. Honest to God sixteen-year-old girl _giggled,_ and when he reached for her again she did not retreat.

However, the sound of a key working in the front door made them pause, and the sight of Dean with bags in hand entering from the foyer filled Beth with surprise—and then rage. “Bethy? You still up?” he called, and then spied the pair standing so close together at the kitchen island.

"Dean, what do you think you're doing?” hissed Beth, taking a small step away from Rio. “I said you could come back _tomorrow_."

"I know but...I couldn't sleep...because the cancer?" Beth narrowed her eyes to slits, _furious_ , but before she could speak he went on, "What is Bounce House Guy doing here?"

Rio responded with a magnificent frown. "The fuck you just call me?"

"You heard me. And you need to get away from my wife and out of my house."

"See if you can make me, Car Man."

Beth could see this getting ugly very quickly.

"This is _my_ house," she interjected, putting herself between them. She felt the anger she felt for Dean—for every shitty thing he’d done to her, to this _family_ , distill into something that burned hot and fast as pure gasoline inside her. She’d always had a temper and yet she’d never allowed herself to unleash it upon Dean before recently. She’d always been the sweet, meek, little housewife, no matter how he drove her up the wall, no matter how it was like he was her fifth child more than half the time, but that woman didn’t exist anymore. Her voice rose with every word, and she stalked towards him, her pumps clicking angrily on the tile floor. "And I am letting you back in it because the four little people upstairs love you, and you are sick. But I stopped being your wife the moment you stuck your _penis_ in your woman- _child_ of a secretary so if you think for one _fucking_ minute you get to tell me who to associate with you are dead wrong. Now go upstairs, I made up Kenny's bottom bunk for you."

"But Bethy—"

" _Don't_ call me that. Go."

"He has a neck tattoo!"

"So what? You have a dick for a head! GO!"

Finally Dean deflated, and retreated up the stairs with his tail between his legs.

Beth turned to find Rio looking dark and amused, leaning one elbow against her kitchen island.

"I guess I should go."

Despite her earlier trepidation about being practically alone in her house with Rio late at night, Beth was suddenly very sad that he was right. _Fucking Dean._ "Yeah, that might be best."

"It ain’t none of my business, but if he has cancer, then I'm Betty White. He's playin' you, baby. Make sure you protect yo'self."

The thought that Dean would fake cancer— _after everything else he'd done?_ It actually wasn't too far-fetched, though the thought that he _would_ hit Beth like a slap to the face.

"If he's not dying I'll kill him," she grumbled, winning a dark chuckle from Rio. He chucked her under the chin, and seemed like he couldn't resist ducking down for another kiss. It was slow and wet and sweet as poisoned candy.

Beth felt her legs tremble beneath her, and it had nothing to do with anger.

"See you soon, Red. My boys will make you a delivery."

Though his kiss scrambled her brain, she remembered the cash. "Yeah. OK."

"Best we leave Car Man out of it, yeah?"

"Yeah." That was a no-brainer, even for her.

That meant when Dean asked what Rio was doing here, she would tell him...what? Rio was her boyfriend? The thought was _hilarious_ , to say the least. Seeming to read her thoughts, Rio lifted his brows at her. “You’ll think of somethin’, mamma. Give him a taste of his own medicine.”

With that he let himself out the back door, and Beth stood in her kitchen, stunned. That had sounded almost like _permission_ to spin whatever story she wanted, which was a dangerous prospect at best. What would Dean do, actually, if she said _Sorry you interrupted me with my young hot Latin lover, wouldn’t you know it that he has tattoos everywhere, not just on his neck?_

The thought made a blush like a wildfire erupt across her skin, and with hands cupped over her mouth she tried to stifle a maniacal giggle.

She definitely had lost her mind.

**Author's Note:**

> It kind of killed me that they just let Eddie go and took him home after he returned the shot-up mini-van, LOL. And damn he was walking really well after getting SHOT in the side just the night before... Ah TV. But I want my girls to WIN!
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you're enjoying this little remix as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Comments are love! <3<3<3


End file.
